The second trailer for Disney’s upcoming adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time debuted this past Sunday during the American Music Awards. The film is based on the classic science fiction/fantasy novel by Madeleine L’Engle, who also wrote five other books in the series that take place after Wrinkle. This will be the first film adaptation of the book since the television movie released in 2003, made by Canadian production companies and also distributed by Disney.

The trailer starts out with our main protagonist Meg Murray (Storm Reid) being called out for bad behavior in school, being told she can’t use her father’s disappearance as an excuse for acting out. We learn that Meg’s father (Chris Pine) is some sort of scientist who had been playing around with a fifth-dimension of travel through time and space when he disappeared. A synopsis of the film states this occurred five years ago. We also get a look at Meg’s friend Calvin (Levi Miller), younger brother Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe), and mother (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), who is also a scientist.

Next, although we don’t exactly see how, Meg, Calvin, and Charles Wallace are magically transported to an entirely different place where three eccentrically dressed women warn them that Mr. Murray is in trouble. These three witches, Mrs. Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon), Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling), and Mrs. Which (Oprah Winfrey) tell the children they heard a cry – which we presume is Meg’s father, still alive – and that Mr. Murray is trapped by an evil energy too powerful for them to overcome. Meg is told she’s the only one who can save him, and must “be a warrior,” hence the film’s promotional tagline.

From there, the trailer treats us to a visual spectacle of colors and fantasy, from running flowers and flying plant people to whirling tornadoes and smoke clouds. No further plot points are revealed, but viewers might ask if there’s anything left to reveal. The trailer may make the movie appear overtly simple and light, despite the deep complexities and dark themes of the source material; fans of the book can only hope that the trailer is not a fully accurate picture of what the final film will be. If that’s the case, we could all be in for a real treat come March 9th.

Watch the new trailer here:

What do you think of the trailer? Are you a fan of the original book? Are you looking forward to the movie?

About Amber

Amber is an imaginative storyteller and visual artist whose greatest ambition is to tell meaningful stories that resonate with people. Since she was young, Amber has enjoyed escaping to faraway worlds through animation, and has continued to follow animation into adulthood because of its limitless storytelling possibilities. Picking favorites is nearly impossible, but Amber would say her top animated films include The Little Mermaid, The Incredibles, The Emperor’s New Groove, and Frozen. She graduated with a B.A. in Interactive Media/Graphic Design and a minor in Journalism, and is currently working as an advertising designer. When she’s not at her day job, Amber can be found working on digital illustrations and photo edits, drafting a new fiction story, or crafting a new cosplay. Send her a tweet at @amber_ld.

Manuel Orozco

I’m more familiar with the story thanks to the 2003 Miramax TV version and only read bits and pieces in middle school. The visuals are yet to grow on me although the star power in this movie onscreen and off is forgiving.

Chelsea Warner

This was a book I always wanted to read but never had gotten around to it.

Amber Dvorak

I read it as a young teen, and am rereading it before the movie. Highly recommend! It’s technically a children’s story, but it’s really timeless. The book can even get quite dark, which I’m not sure if we’ll fully see in the film version or not.

The trailer is one of the most visually pleasing trailers I’ve seen!! But Im still kinda on the fence if it’ll really be as good as I keep hearing the book is, but I really like the director (based on word of mouth) so I’m gonna try and remain hopeful

Amber Dvorak

My rule of thumb is: Always expect the book to be better than the movie, and you won’t be disappointed. I do agree though that this looks very visually pleasing. Also, read the book if you’re so inspired, I highly recommend it! 😊